Students did sprints up and down the main hallway at RHAM High School as the mid-afternoon sun illuminated the glass entryway behind them. Nearby, other athletes practiced shot put techniques, without the actual shot puts, in the school cafeteria. You make do when your school doesn't have an indoor track facility, said head coach Tom Hammond, as he arrived at a Dec. 8 afternoon practice session for the RHAM indoor track team.

"Any day that we can reasonably go outside, we will," said Hammond, noting that the athletes had already warmed up outside earlier that afternoon. "We can't take them outside when the weather's really bad or it's really cold outside, but we've even been known to shovel the track for practice," said Hammond.

Students can do a limited amount of running inside the school, though long-distance runners must be wary of shin splints, said the coach. Starts and high jumps can be practiced in the school hallways. Athletes do weight-training indoors three times a week, according to the coach."You have to be creative," said Hammond.

Boys' and girls' indoor track are run together at RHAM. "They're smaller teams, " said Brooke Barber, one of two assistant coaches, along with Mike Goilet. Having to be creative with practice sessions, "It's a tough season for them," said Barber. "It's more geared toward getting them ready for the outdoor track season."

Approximately 20 girls and an even number of boys turned out for indoor track this year, according to Barber. For the girls' team, there are three senior captains: Becky Moody, Chace Brokaw and Madeline Mondo. For the boys' team, there are three junior captains: Gordon Perrett, Ben Haas and Aidan Kalisher.

Standing out among the competitors during the early season is senior Angelica Czercowy, whom Hammond called "one of the best high jumpers in the state."

Among the boys, junior Aidan Kalisher is "a great long-jumper, pushing 21 feet," said Hammond.

In addition to some strong jumpers, the RHAM team boasts a strong 4x200 team, despite the loss of Christine Bendzinski to graduation. "She's probably the best runner at RHAM ever," said Hammond.

The team of Lexie Doran, Becky Moody, Olivia Folkes and Mari Larcheveque or Cassandra Michaud will make up a decent sprint medley relay, said Hammond, with some members participating in the 4 x 200, as well.